IHP Raag

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Printing houses
  • 3D printing
  • 3D printing start ups
  • Printing with concrete
  • Printing Money

IHP Raag

Header Banner

IHP Raag

  • Home
  • Printing houses
  • 3D printing
  • 3D printing start ups
  • Printing with concrete
  • Printing Money
3D printing start ups
Home›3D printing start ups›Inventor creates 3D printed robotic arms for missing children’s limbs

Inventor creates 3D printed robotic arms for missing children’s limbs

By Shirley Allen
October 5, 2021
0
0


Changing lives, one limb at a time

A chance encounter at the 2013 Colorado State Science Fair would change LaChappelle’s career path. A little girl approached him, curious about his invention. She had a prosthesis on her right arm which was little more than a claw. He watched it move and opened it.

“It was extremely revealing to me,” says LaChappelle.

He learned from the girl’s parents that the prosthetic arm cost $ 80,000. Despite the high price, the limb was bulky, uncomfortable, and not very useful. In addition, the girl would soon outgrow the member and would need a new one.

“I couldn’t accept this,” he said, adding that he knew he could build a cheaper, more user-friendly arm.

“That’s when I dedicated my life to creating better prosthetic technology,” he says.

In 2014, at the age of 18, LaChappelle started his own business called Unlimited Tomorrow, with financial support from life coach Tony Robbins.

Technology that changes life

During the early years of the company’s existence, LaChappelle had to develop the technology to create custom members for a fraction of the cost of existing members.

The model he eventually developed allows users to scan their limbs using a 3D scanner in their homes, rather than having to have a fit in person. Then the company prints, assembles and tests the member. Finally, it is sent to the user. By streamlining the production process, LaChappelle brought the cost of its prosthetic limb, called TrueLimb, down to $ 8,000.

Her first client was a little girl named Momo, who was missing part of her arm and right hand. In 2017, met in Seattle, where the inventor helped equip Momo with his new prosthetic arm.

TrueLimb looks and feels like a human arm, right down to the fingernails (which can be polished). It is controlled by the user’s muscles just like a real limb.

Every time someone is fitted with a TrueLimb, they go through a muscle training process, during which sensors in the socket of the prosthesis learn to detect their muscles.


Related posts:

  1. [Funding alert] Carbon fiber start-up Fabheads raises Rs 8 Cr in pre-series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures
  2. Walmart Q1 Beats Expectations As Stimulus And Suppressed Demand Fuel Online Spending
  3. UTD 3D printing spin-off acquired by Desktop Metal »Dallas Innovates
  4. Why collaborations with large companies can be a path to the success of a start-up | The Transcontinental

Categories

  • 3D printing
  • 3D printing start ups
  • Printing houses
  • Printing Money
  • Printing with concrete

Recent Posts

  • Affordable Housing, Military Contracts, and Mars: Potential 3D Printing Building Builds | Pillsbury – Gravel2Gavel Construction and real estate law
  • Personal loans are increasingly being used by financially vulnerable consumers, JD Power report finds – here’s why
  • Kharkiv mayor says no place in Ukraine’s second city is ‘safe’
  • Shoemakers, customers work out details via video link, 3D printing
  • Architectural icon: National Library of Luxembourg
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions